Benjamin Knispel

Very nice pollen based atmospheric optics.

Last night I observed a pollen corona around the bright moon. These colored rings around the moon are created when its light is refracted by airborne pollen.

Depending on the type of pollen, different ring shapes and sizes appear. This one is probably from pine pollen.

Image: 22:53 CEST | f=300 mm | aperture 5.6 | ISO 1250 | 0.5 s

#AtmosphericOptics #Photography #Nature #Light #Diffraction #Moon

May 11 at 6:50pmWeb
Show threadBenjamin KnispelMay 11

If you expose the image more (here the same conditions as before, but t=1.3 seconds), you can see the typical multiple diffraction rings.

#AtmosphericOptics #Photography #Nature #Light #Diffraction #Moon

Show threadProf. Günther HasingerMay 12
@benknispel I found this halo around the sun a few days ago. I could not immedially identify the phenomenon. But looking at your moon picture it is probably also a pollen halo?
Show threadBenjamin KnispelMay 12
@HasiProf Could well be a pollen corona. Can you estimate the angular size of the rings in your image? Alternatively: Do you know the FOV of your picture?
Show threadProf. Günther HasingerMay 12
@benknispel I can estimate the angular diameter later today, when I am back home. The camera information on the image says: 77mm f2.8 4032x3024 Pixels
Show threadProf. Günther HasingerMay 12
@benknispel I would say the first rin is at around 15 arcmin.
Show threadBenjamin KnispelMay 12

@HasiProf The first red ring directly above the roof? That seems rather small for a pine pollen corona and for what I had visually observed.

Also, it seems small for what I would estimate given the FOV. At f=77 mm (assuming this is full format equivalent) I'd assume a horizontal FOV of ~26°, from which I'd estimate slightly below 2° diameter for the first red ring.